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ROAD WEARY: Flyers hold off Sabres for 3-2 win

Monday, 03.11.2013 / 1:10 AM

Philadelphia 3 – Buffalo 2
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Wells Fargo Center

GAME RECAPPHILADELPHIA – Claude Giroux’s goal 17 seconds into the second period stood up as the game winner, as the Philadelphia Flyers ended a three-game losing streak with 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. Buffalo drops to 9-14-3 (21 points) with the loss, and went winless (0-2-2) during their season-high four-game road trip.

Rookie Brian Flynn scored for the second game in a row, and Jochen Hecht added a shorthanded goal in the third period to round out the Sabres’ scoring. Ryan Miller stopped 25 of 28 shots to take the loss. Simon Gagne and Max Talbot scored for the Flyers, who are now 12-14-1 (25 points).

Tyler Ennis was forced to leave the game in the first period with an upper body injury after he was drilled from behind by Wayne Simmonds, who was not penalized on the play. The Sabres center appeared to hit his head on the dasher board, and received several stitches to close a gash. The two teams combined for 62 penalty minutes in the game, with Mike Weber picking up 17 after instigating a fight with Simmonds after the hit on Ennis.

1st Period
With Robyn Regehr off for high sticking, Simon Gagne opened the scoring with his second of the year on a slapshot from the slot at 4:31. Max Talbot put the Flyers up a pair at 8:47 with a shorthanded goal, converting a pass in front from Ruslan Fedotenko. Brian Flynn finally solved Ilya Bryzgalov when he buried his second of the year at 11:43, finishing off a rebound in front from Kevin Porter. Buffalo was outshot 12-4, and didn’t record their first shot of the period until the Porter wrist shot that led to Flynn’s goal.

2nd Period
Philadelphia had the only goal of the second period, and it took them just 17 seconds to get it. Claude Giroux took a pass from Kimmo Timonen at the Buffalo blueline and raced untouched into the zone before going short side over Miller’s glove with a wrist shot. Cody Hodgson had Buffalo’s best scoring chance late in the period, but was denied on a fantastic left pad save by Bryzgalov. Shots were even at 10-10.

3rd Period
Jochen Hecht gave the Sabres some life early in the final period, finishing off a shorthanded two-on-one with Steve Ott at 4:32. After picking up the puck at the Flyers’ blueline, Ott skated down the left wing and fed Hecht in front for the one-timer. It was Hecht’s second of the year, and Buffalo’s fifth shorthanded goal. Each team had six shots in the third, as Philadelphia rolled up an overall total of 28-20 on the night.

BEHIND THE NUMBERSThe Sabres have now scored a shorthanded goal in four of their last five games… Buffalo led Philadelphia in faceoffs at 27-25 (52%)… Claude Giroux was responsible for 18 of Philadelphia’s 25 faceoff wins… Buffalo also outhit the Flyers 19-15, with Steve Ott posting a game-high five hits… Ott also topped all Sabres forwards in ice time at 21:03… 159th game all-time between Buffalo and Philadelphia; Buffalo trails the series with a 62-75-23 record; 23-46-13 on the road against the Flyers all-time… These two teams will meet for the third and final time this season in Buffalo on Saturday, April 13.

ROSTER NOTES
Jordan Leopold was scratched from the lineup after being activated from IR earlier in the day. Leopold had missed the previous eight games with an upper body injury… Mikhail Grigorenko was a healthy scratch… Patrick Kaleta served the third game of his five-game suspension… With Leopold coming off IR, it was announced before the game that defenseman Adam Pardy was loaned to Rochester… Alexander Sulzer (lower body, 7 games) and Ville Leino (hip, 26 games) remain on IR. Leino has been practicing with the team all week, and is hopeful for a return on Tuesday against the New York Rangers.

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